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Things To Do

The Best Things To Do In Melbourne This Weekend

12th Aug 2026
Written by: Urban List Writers
  • best things to do in melbourne this weekend 2026

Searching for the best things to do in Melbourne/Naarm this weekend? You're in luck. The calendar is always full of top-tier happenings in Melbourne.

Whether it's a foodie find, a magical night market or a street festival, Melbourne is serving up another weekend of fun events and activities. 

Here's everything that's on in Melbourne this weekend. 

 

Night 003: Marty’s Supper Club 

Frontside Food & Wine, Port Melbourne | Friday 14 August 


Image: Marty's Supper Club | Supplied

With all your favourite parts of a dinner party, restaurant and bar combined into one incredible night, Marty’s Supper Club is back for its third installment. This time around, the theme is Mediterranean chaos with food that leans Greek and flowing drinks all night long.

Night 003 is another one-night-only, adults-only, long-table dinner, for anyone looking for more than a regular meal. Expect shared Med-inspired plates (Marty’s Instagram has teased grilled octopus, succulent lamb, and a Basque cheesecake), plenty of drinks, loud conversations, and surprise entertainment. 

Seats are limited, so come with friends, bring a date, or arrive solo—just arrive ready for a good time. Secure your tickets here.

Walk The TONY Trail In Honour Of Bourdain

Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne | Saturday 15–Sunday 16 August


Image: TONY | Supplied

A24’s highly anticipated Tony is hitting cinemas on 20 August, and tells the origin story of Anthony Bourdain as a 19-year-old who stumbled into his first kitchen. To celebrate, you can walk in his imaginary shoes with a special edition of Queen Victoria Market’s Foodie Tour, aptly dubbed ‘The TONY Trail’. Gear up for a two-hour guided walk through the Market that’s inspired by Bourdain’s lifelong obsession with the people who make great produce. 

Across eight tastings from iconic traders in the historic Market halls, the tour pays tribute to Bourdain’s visit to Queen Vic in 2009 to film his Melbourne episode of No Reservations. You can expect to try freshly cooked mussels, pickled octopus, artisan charcuterie, chargrilled kangaroo, local cheeses, seasonal fruit, and the requisite hot jam doughnut from American Doughnut Kitchen. 

Grab yourself a ticket here—it’s what Bourdain would’ve wanted.

Supernormal's Six-Week Showcase Of Creative Noodle Dishes

180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne | Until 6 September

Image: Supernormal | Supplied

Until 6 September, you’ll find Supernormal deep in a noodle obsession. Six weeks means six brand-new dishes where each noodle is hand-rolled, steamed, or boiled to perfection. Each dish runs exclusively for one week only alongside the regular Asian-inspired menu. 

The specials range from Shaanxi-style noodles with braised oxtail to tiger prawn egg noodles with smoked roe, and knife-cut wheat noodles with spiced cumin lamb to Dan Dan noodles with Szechuan sesame sauce. The final dish finishes the six-week run with Fujian-style wok-fried crab noodles, and this is the one worth scheduling in. And we can’t forget that every dish also comes with a paired drinks suggestion to ensure you’re dining in style—book via the Supernormal website here.

 

Death Of A Salesman 

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne CBD | 11–22 August

For those of us who studied Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play in high school, you'll be very happy to know that you can see Death of a Salesman on stage this August. Even if you're unfamiliar with the story, do yourself a favour and grab tickets to this tantalisingly limited season at Her Majesty's Theatre. Opening on Tuesday 11 August, the production is directed by Neil Armfield and stars Anthony LaPaglia as Willy Loman, the titular salesman, alongside Alison Whyte, Josh Helman, and Ben O’Toole. 

The Melbourne run of Death of a Salesman will run until 22 August before heading north to Brisbane and west to Adelaide. This show is critically acclaimed—and with such a stacked Australian cast, this is live theatre doing what it does best. Get your tickets here. 

The Wharf Winter Glasshouses 

18/38 Siddeley St, Docklands | June–September

Image credit: Supplied

The Wharf's beloved Winter Glasshouses have returned to the banks of the Yarra, bringing three private themed dining spaces back to Melbourne for the cooler months. Whether you're planning a date night, birthday celebration or long-overdue catch-up with friends, these cosy glasshouses offer a front-row seat to the river without having to brave the chill.
 
Choose between the bright and blooming Sunflower House, dreamy Starry Night or romantic Scarlet Bloom, then settle in with a hearty two-course feast or a more relaxed grazing spread. If you're looking to elevate the experience, there are optional add-ons including chocolate fondue, wine and gin tasting flights, plus self-guided paint and sip sessions.
 
Running until September, The Wharf's Winter Glasshouses are the kind of winter plan you'll want to lock in before everyone else does. Check it out here.

Celebrate Defiant Love At The Rebel Heart Exhibition

Keith Murdoch Gallery, State Library Victoria | Until 27 January 2027


Image: Rebel Heart | Eugene Hyland

Love doesn’t follow a rulebook, and the State Library Victoria’s latest exhibition is dedicated to the people who throw that book entirely out the window. Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations uses the Library’s extensive archive of letters, diaries, and rare manuscripts to share stories of romantic defiance across the ages, from Victorian-era same-sex couples to a mid-century marriage caught in the crossfire of the White Australia policy. 

The high notes of the exhibition include a mourning brooch woven from the hair of pastoralist couple Anne Drysdale and Caroline Newcomb, and the story of bushrangers Captain Moonlight and James Nesbitt after they met in Pentridge Prison. Eventually turning to the present, Rebel Heart explores digital intimacy through mixtapes, DMs, and even AI relationships. 

Check out original music commissions from Angie McMahon, Mindy Meng Wang, Mo’Ju, and Amos Roach, all of which respond to the material on display to add a truly moving layer to the experience. Entry is free, and the exhibition runs until January 2027; find out more here.

Grazeland’s Winter Program 

Grazeland, Spotswood | June–August 2026


Image: Grazeland | Supplied 

Grazeland is going all-in for winter this year, and it's not just the incredible food line up giving you a reason to visit. With something for everyone across the season, including a little extra school holiday magic from a snow machine with honest-to-goodness real snow, and a magical Christmas in July event with festive dishes and fairy lights. 

All throughout winter, you can also catch FIFA World Cup matches screened live alongside the usual AFL and NRL games. It’s the perfect spot to gather the crew for great food, cold drinks, and a buzzy atmosphere to boot. 

Weekend entertainment runs from Friday through Sunday each week. Headliners include a Mauritian band on 21 June, Latin Night on 4 July, and a Middle Eastern night with bellydancers on 22 August.

We're huge fans of the pan-fried dumplings at Lucky Little Dumpings, the quesadillas at El Taco and the hand-made pasta at Pasta E Basta (all great options on a cols winter night). But the one thing you can’t miss? The $25 Winter Feed that keeps people coming back. Get a full-size main meal and full-size dessert for $25 across more than 20 different vendors; we’re talking options like Hainanese chicken rice, Philly cheesesteaks, currywurst, steak sandwiches, and churros with dipping chocolate.

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Fondue + Bingo At Chandon

Chandon Australia, Coldstream | Until 31 August


Image: Chandon | Supplied

The Yarra Valley in winter is never a bad idea, but Chandon Australia has just upped the ante. Their limited-time Fondue + Bingo experience involves melted cheese, sparkling wine, and a competitive game of bingo for groups of two to ten, and we can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon. 

For 1.5 hours, enjoy fondue that blends Swiss raclette with Long Paddock cheese and Chandon sparkling wine, served with baby potatoes, Brussels sprouts, grilled pear, broccolini, saucisson, and pickles. Look forward to a French onion soup reimagined as a sourdough toastie, filled with caramelised onion and cheese velouté and specifically designed to dunk into more cheese. 

Three 60ml Chandon pairings will take you from a Blanc de Blancs aperitif to a Cuvée 205, and finally to a Ruby Cuvée alongside a s’mores-inspired chocolate tartlet to finish. The bingo game is self-guided and the winner at each table wins a prize, so there’s no excuse to not get competitive. 

Bubble Planet

62 Dawson St, Brunswick | Ongoing

Image credit: Bubble Planet | Supplied

Lift your spirits: Bubble Planet is floating into Brunswick on 1 April. 

Bubble Planet has already mesmerised more than ten cities around the world—from London to Los Angeles, and New York to Milan—where it’s drawn over five million visitors. How does it work? Well, guests move through a spherical universe via multiple rooms, each featuring surreal, dream-like landscapes and everything from giant inflatables to floating soapy bubbles. Explore the Giant Bubble Dome, where you can relax on huge inflatable clouds while watching meditative animations above, and the continuous illusions of the Infinity Room. 

There are 11 rooms to discover at Bubble Planet (hosted at Fever Melbourne). Visitors of all ages will love the colourful combination of technology, creativity, and the senses in this floor-to-ceiling sensory experience. 

Main image credit: City of Melbourne | Website

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